


Perspective

by EboniObsydian



Series: Myths in a Space Castle [6]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Dubious Science, Gen, Macro/Micro, Shenanigans, tags update with chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-06-20 08:02:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15529764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EboniObsydian/pseuds/EboniObsydian
Summary: Set in the Mythical Voltron AU created by @polarspaz on tumblr.Follows the Myths in a Space Castle world.While rescuing miners from a cave in on a recently liberated planet, Hunk and Keith run into trouble. It's up to the rest of the team to find a solution to their mutual predicament of small proportions before the Galra catch wind of it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [polarspaz](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=polarspaz).



> I haven't given up on _Why it sucks..._
> 
> And I told myself I wasn't going to be one of those authors with multiple fics going at once.  
> And yet this happened.
> 
> This fic does not fit in the timeline of _Why it sucks to be a snake in space_. It can be considered a standalone fic but will contain spoilers from the aforementioned since said aforementioned fic is still a WIP at the time of this posting.
> 
> Chapter is not betaed.

What a mess.

What a huge mess.

What mess is being referred to? Well, as Coran put it, a mess of skewed proportions.

The day started out in regular fashion; Keith and Hunk waking up before the others to get some early exercise/light training in for the former and get breakfast started for the later. Lance would be the next up, finishing up with his skin care routine before joining Hunk in the kitchen. Around that same time Pidge and Shiro would join them, immediately going after space coffee, staying only long enough to grab and fill their mugs before leaving until breakfast. And then by some unseen, unheard alarm, all five of them plus Allura and Coran would meet for breakfast.

Morning training was canceled due to a distress call coming from a nearby planet newly liberated from Galra occupation; one of the outskirt towns did not have the necessary resources to gather the materials they utilized in the construction of their power source; said materials were a specific mineral that was mined and the Galra had confiscated their mining equipment for their own purposes, most of it having been destroyed as result of the natives' non-compliance to their demands, this all being before the intervention of Voltron. The humanoid natives with fox characteristics had resorted to mining by hand with rudimentary tools and there was a cave-in. Their request was that Voltron help them rescue their thirteen comrades trapped in one of the mines.

“Of course Voltron will help,” Allura had answered. The relief emanating off of the mayor was palpable.

It was a couple hours before noon when they landed planet side. Three guides led the team, donned in their paladin armor, to the collapsed mine. It was almost a day's walk from the town, the road they followed only partially paved; approximately 70 kilometers from the outskirts. The rest of the road was dirt and gravel with the occasional plant growing between the tire tracks. They rode in a rugged wheeled space flatbed towing a trailer for Keith and Lance since they could not fit in the main cab, and Shiro in the back grasping a tie-down. When they stopped at the entrance to the mine, one of the guides exited the truck and spoke. “The cave-in happened a little over a quintent ago. We have communication with those who are trapped but they have little resources to maintain their health for more than three quintants.” He looked back and forth between the paladins and the mine entrance.

“We understand,” Shiro answered, speaking for the team as he hopped off the bed. “Hunk, what do you make of the situation?”

Hunk exited the space truck to get a closer look at the entrance; the mound that had been penetrated was made of rock that was composed of red and pink hues and it was framed by blue metal beams which continued to provide the framework for only about forty meters inside where it was then replaced by wood. “How long will it take to get to the cave-in?”

“It's approximately two vargas in total. A fifty dobosh ride by vehicle, thirty seven dobosh ride by rail cart, and then the rest on foot.”

“Any rescue attempts?”

“There are men on site as we speak. Our earlier attempts at getting through with what limited equipment we have available have come to a stop; the rock is just too hard for our worn tools to break.”

“What equipment do you have at the site?”

“A single small front-end loader, a generator, two construction lamps, and cart drill with a dulling tip. There are two tracks for the rail carts to allow the removal of the cast off.”

“I'm guessing you've also got things like pickaxes and shovels and the like?” Hunk asked. The guide nodded. The troll stared down into the tunnel which was lit by lamps strung along the length, hanging on hooks embedded into the framework. “Here's what we're going to do. Shiro and I will take point and evaluate the site. Keith, Lance and Pidge, you go back to the castleship and see what you can find that could help us out. I'm positive Coran will have some ideas.”

“You heard the guy, let's move!” Pidge pressed, poking the driver. Said driver nodded and made a wide U-turn before speeding off as fast as they dared, concerned about the large occupants in the trailer. The speed was jostling it roughly, nearly throwing Lance out twice before he yelled for the driver to slow down.

It was the late afternoon when they entered the mine, another flatbed vehicle waited for them. Shiro wordlessly climbed into the back while Hunk entered the cab, taking the passenger seat while the guide slid in behind the wheel. The trip was stressed and quiet, Hunk taking in the structure of the mine and trying to imagine what the cave-in might look like. When they finally reached the site, there were at seventeen others there. Two were working with a communicator. The sound of their footsteps alerted them. “Great news! The Paladins of Voltron have arrived! Do not lose hope!”

Static and cheers emitted from the communicator. Hunk immediately went to the wall of rubble while Shiro asked, “Who is in charge?”

A woman stepped forward. She was wearing a hard hat with a light on the front, same as all the other Moore there, and thick beige clothing in comparison to the near black shades of the others. “I am. Are you the leader of Voltron?”

“Yes. What is the status of those that are trapped?”

“Minor injuries. Ventilation is unaffected. I'm sure you've been informed that they only have a few quintants worth of supplies. It could be rationed but it would be at the expense of their health.”

“Then we'll do our best to get them out before it comes to that. The rest of the team is currently looking for more tools to help with the extraction. What can be done now?”

“We are currently attempting to figure out our next move. Our drill just gave out a varga ago and those that were working by hand are exhausted.”

Shiro nodded. He was about to speak when Hunk interrupted him. “Shiro! Could you come over here?” He was waiting in a space away from the rest of the miners and rescue team.

“Excuse me,” he said to the director. Standing next to Hunk, he asked, “Have you figured something out?”

Not looking at the half-dragon in favor of studying the rock, Hunk asked in a whisper, “How strong are your claws?”

“What?” Shiro raised an eyebrow.

Hunk looked at him square. “Your dragon claws, how strong do you think they are?”

“I'm not sure. What are you getting at?”

“It would be a tight fit, but I believe we can start digging again with you in dragon mode.”

Shiro glanced around, “Are you sure that's a good idea?”

Hunk nodded. “If we left you to do the digging, the rest of us can move the cast off into the carts and from there take it elsewhere. We'll have to be extra vigilant about possible further collapse but, if we just dig a tunnel big enough for the trapped miners to crawl through, the risk decreases significantly.”

“And the Moore? Isn't it a bad idea for them to see me shift?”

“Probably.” Hunk thought a moment. “Pretend you're talking to someone on the coms and then run out of sight. Wait for maybe fifteen doboshes or so and the come back as a dragon. Just, don't step on anyone,” the troll grinned.

“Think that will work?”

“Who knows for sure. It's my best idea. When Keith and the others get back, hopefully, they'll have some tools we can use for the finer work of expanding and stabilizing the tunnel.”

“I'll ask about what they've found while I'm out of sight then.”

“Go do that, I'll talk with their director of this rescue.” Hunk shooed the half-dragon with a wave of his hand.

The manager had a discombobulated expression on her face when Hunk approached; she had been observing them the moment Shiro excused himself. “Where is your leader going?”

“He's contacting the rest of the team as well as an incoming friend that can help get the digging going again.”

“Who could your friend possibly be? I thought there were only five Paladins to Voltron.”

“You are correct in that there are five of us to pilot Voltron, but we do have others who fight and work alongside us. They just aren't typically seen on the front lines. Some prefer to work in the background as a support.”

“I see.”

Hunk's com hissed. “Hunk, this is Allura. Keith and the others are on their way back with a few tools that Coran thinks can help. How are circumstances on your end?”

“We've got a plan in motion, just waiting for more of the rescue party to arrive.”

“What rescue party?”

Hunk was so glad that only he could hear the princess. “I'll give you the details later, kinda busy right now.”

“Hun-” Whatever the princess was about to say was cut off by Hunk switching his com off temporarily. “That was Princess Allura. She reports that the other paladins are on their way with more equipment.” He worked the computer on his gauntlet, smiling. “And I believe our friend should be arriving shortly.”

Shiro's large dragon claws scratched against the hard ground as he came into view, his mighty body almost filling up the mining space, the beams from the construction lights reflecting off his black scales, his many horns grazing the ceiling. His massive wings were clamped tightly against himself and his long tail trailed behind him.

Everyone's jaw dropped. “This... is your friend?!” choked the director. Hunk just smiled. “Everyone, meet Takashi.” If there was any indication that someone made the connection between the half-dragon and the full-sized dragon on site, no one saw it.

“I'm here to help,” Shiro said, lowering his head to Hunk's level, trying his best not to scare everyone else. “The Black Paladin has briefed me on the situation,” he continued, feeling extremely weird talking about himself in third person. “Let's get started as soon as possible.”

Hunk clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. “Okay, here's my plan. We'll have Takashi here be our substitute drill. The rock that he breaks away will still need to be gathered and carried out. The goal is to create a tunnel large enough for those who are trapped to crawl through. I've been informed that there aren't any major injuries so the tunnel should work out.” Glancing around the room, he continued, “The other three are on their way and are coming as quickly as possible. Let's do what we can so we aren't wasting time.”

“O-of course.” The director shook her head before calling out instructions and orders.

Shiro carefully made his way to the wall of debris and rubble, Hunk riding in his hands. Using his instinct as well as the scanner in his gauntlet, the troll studied the wall, looking for the best access point; the one that the team had started digging the troll almost instantly knew would collapse if they went any further. The holograph highlighted an area but was still vague on what point to actually start digging. “Shiro, move me closer. I need to touch the wall.” His voice was only loud enough for the dragon to hear. Said dragon obliged.

At first Hunk placed both palms against the rock. Then, with his fingertips, he probed seemingly random areas with his eyes closed. Shiro watched, holding his claws steady. Two minutes... three... four... almost six minutes passed before Hunk placed his right palm on an area to their left, almost falling out of the dragon's claws before Shiro quickly adjusted. “Right here. This is the best place that I can determine to start digging.”

Shifting the troll carefully to his left claw, Shiro carved an 'X' at the point Hunk's palm was. The location was approximately thirteen and a half meters from the ground. The director of the rescue team was not impressed. “Why should we abandon what we started and begin drilling again in a higher location?”

“Trust me, I know what I'm doing,” was all Hunk could answer. He wasn't sure how to explain his instinct in a way that the Moore would understand without suspicion or completely blowing it off as hula-baloo. Loud enough for everyone to hear, “Okay, Takashi. Start digging. We'll take care of the rest.”

Shiro put Hunk down away from the zone where the cast off from his digging would fall. Tentatively, with one clawed fingertip, he scratched at the spot indicated by the 'X', getting a feel for how much pressure he would need to push against the rock to break it away. Once he got an idea, he used two fingers to start a hole, then all four. He created an opening wide enough to comfortably fit his hand in record time, pausing so the others could move away the fallen rock He had gotten to the point where half his arm could fit in the hole when the rest of the paladins arrived. Seeing Shiro in dragon form among the Moore, they each instantly knew to call him by his first name. “Takashi! We're here to help,” Lance called out.

They had arrived in a speeder that Pidge was driving; the speeder headlight momentarily blinding those who looked in her direction. Keith was in the seats behind her and there was a trailer carrying Lance and three identical tools that were the size of galra blasters but were unrecognizable concerning all the Altean associated paraphernalia that the paladins had come to know of. “Coran says that the best he could offer were these short distance lasers that were once used to cut metal and metal-like material. We tested each one and they function perfectly, but in short bursts,” Lance said when they stopped.

Hunk approached the trailer and studied the tools; in his opinion, they looked like a cross between a jackhammer and an oversize hand drill. “These could be used to widen the hole that Takashi is digging and smooth it out to prevent rough and sharp edges from catching on the trapped miners.” Looking at Pidge, he asked, “How long is the work time on these puppies?”

“Ten doboshes, give or take. And the cooldown is anywhere from twenty-five to thirty.” She answered, disembarking along with Keith and Lance.

“We'll make it work.” Hunk said.

Keith and Lance took in the scene. Shiro was digging again now that rubble had been cleared away. “Just so you know, it's sundown out there. What should we do?” Keith asked.

“For now, all the four of us can do is help remove cast off while Takashi works. Then, when he gets as far as his arms can reach, we widen the tunnel enough that one of us can get in and continue digging to the other side.”

“That would probably be you, Keith or Pidge. There's no way I'd fit in that tunnel,” Lance observed.

“I think it should be you, Hunk,” Keith began. “With your instinct, you very well could dig faster than Pidge or me.”

“Point. I'll need someone to help remove the rubble as I dig.”

“Then Pidge would be the best choice,” Lance answered.

“It's a plan then.”

Without further words being exchanged, the four got to work helping the rest of the Moore rescue team. Hunk would occasionally step over to where the director was, answering questions about progress, time frame, etcetera. When Shiro reached as far as he could go, he started to widen the tunnel big enough for the troll to crawl through on his elbows and knees; they didn't have the time or luxury of widening it big enough for the troll to stand and Hunk had stated that the stability of the rubble just was not available for something bigger.

No one knew what time it was when Shiro reached as far as he could go. “Alright, Hunk. Your turn.”

“I'll need a mallet, a chisel, and a handheld shovel,” he instructed. “Pidge, you'll also want a small shovel or something to move the smaller stuff. Takashi, scrape the rubble out as Pidge moves it closer to the entrance of the tunnel. I feel that we're close. I won't know how close until I get in there.”

“Got it!” the two jinxed.

Shiro lifted Hunk first. The tunnel was maybe eighty centimeters bigger than the widest part of Hunk, so while he had a bit of wiggle room, it was still a tight fit. Once he was a way in, Pidge followed. She had a small rake with her and dim beams of light from her paladin helmet guiding her.

Hunk didn't need the light from his helmet; his eyes could see just fine. His instinct worked with them, pointing out the perfect points to stick his chisel and hammer away. There wasn't much small debris produced due to his guided accuracy and as a result, what he pushed underneath and behind himself were chunks that were tricky to move when in a tight space, but the two paladins managed.

Cheers could be heard some time after Hunk had taken over digging. They were muffled at first, continuing to grow louder the more he dug. And they came in intervals as surely the trapped miners couldn't keep cheering nonstop for the hour and twenty-one minutes it took for him to break through. Then it was a raucous wave of cheers! Pidge was the one to announce to the others using her com, “We've broken through!” 

It was short work for Hunk to widen the hole big enough to let himself out. Pidge followed suit. There was still work to be done though. There had come a point where Pidge could not push the rubble back to Shiro for him to dig out, so the two had to figure a way to remove it from the tunnel.

“I guess we'll just have to backtrack and move the stuff towards the exit this time,” Pidge suggested, shrugging her shoulders. “I didn't exactly see anything that could act like a large plunger so to speak.”

“Hang on. What if we did something like an assembly line?” Lance suggested through the coms. “If no one is seriously injured, then you can all make it back by moving the loose rubble towards the exit as you move forward. After all, the Moore are smaller than you, Hunk.”

“That all depends on their willingness to do it,” Pidge countered.

She pitched the idea to the miners. There was some debate among themselves which lasted several minutes, long enough that Hunk and Pidge feared they wouldn't agree to it. To their surprise though, they accepted, on one condition; “One of you must take the lead and one of you follow us from behind.”

The troll and the gorgon exchanged looks for mere milliseconds. “Can do,” they jinxed, slapping high-fives. Pidge took point and climbed back up to the tunnel with Hunk's assistance. Then, one by one, the thirteen miners entered, the injured stayed back; their injuries consisted of cuts, bruises, and sprains. The miners tried to space themselves for both personal comfort as well as practical to be able to move rubble behind them. When Pidge reached the point where there was no more rubble blocking the tunnel, only eight miners had joined her inside. “Tunnel is clear. We're coming out,” she reported into her com.

“We're on standby,” Lance answered.

Shiro lowered each person to the ground as they exited, each one, aside from Pidge, taken away by a rescue team member to a small setup that was their triage unit.

Just as Hunk lifted the last miner into the tunnel, he paused; his gut was telling him that there was something on this side of the cave-in that needed investigation. “Keith, you better get over here.”

Keith's eyebrow went up. “Why?”

“There's something else over here that my gut is telling me we need to look into.”

“Why me?”

“You can sense slight vibrations in the ground. Seconded to Shiro, you're the best one to help investigate. Think about it, two different senses on alert.”

“Makes sense. As soon as the last miner is out, I'm on my way.”

“Bring one of those lasers with you just in case.”

“Got it.”

Twenty-three minutes later, Hunk saw Keith push himself through his end of the tunnel, one of those laser drills in front of him. The troll took the laser first, then helped his teammate out of the tunnel. “Okay. What next?”

Hunk thumbed behind himself. “It's further in the mine, whatever it is. Can you feel anything?”

Keith took his helmet off, letting his tongue flick in and out. There was a glazed look in his eyes as he focused on his environment. Hunk waited patiently. “There's an odd, irregular buzz going through the ground.”

“A buzz? Really? Couldn't you describe it with any other words?” Hunk asked as Keith put his helmet back on. 

“No.”

“Whatever it is, that gut feeling is turning into anxiety.”

“Yeah. I don't like it either. But, I agree that it's something we should investigate and determine if it's a threat or not.” Keith hefted the laser into his hands and slithered forward. Hunk followed next to him, eyes constantly scanning, looking for something, anything that would explain his unease.

Because of the cave-in, lighting to the mine had been cut off past the wall of rubble. Keith used his helmet to light the path ahead, the beams ample enough for him and Hunk with his enhanced vision. For the most part, there was nothing different between what they were walking through and what they had previously come through. But, as they pressed on, they definitely noticed something amiss.

“That buzzing is getting stronger. It's increased from an easily missed background noise to annoying background noise,” Keith commented.

“My legs have got pins and needles in them and I know it's not from me sitting on them Japanese style,” Hunk responded in turn.

“Should we keep going?”

“Yes. Stay sharp.”

Time became irrelevant as they walked, even more so when they came to a fork in the tunnel. “Which way?” Hunk asked Keith.

Keith let his tongue investigate once he stopped at the point where the two tunnels touched. That buzz he could feel coming from the ground was exciting the air in the left tunnel. He didn't like it and a good part of him wanted to get as far away from it as possible. “The left. What about you?”

“I can't tell. The tingling sensation is interfering too much.”

“I don't like what I'm sensing but we should keep going.” After a few beats, “Why haven't the miners detected this before?”

“It probably wasn't present until after the cave-in,” Hunk replied. “Hand me that laser. Get your bayard out as a precaution. My blaster isn't exactly a mine friendly weapon.”

Keith complied.

Hunk spotted it before Keith did; the tunnel was narrowing. “Shoot. I won't fit through that.”

“we have to keep going. The source is through there, I'm sure of it.”

“Are you sure?”

“No.” He wasn't lying, the buzzing was beginning to make his head hurt, a dull headache building between his eyes. But he was determined to find out if the Moore were In danger from whatever the thing was that was making him so uncomfortable. “I'll go in. Watch my back.”

“For the record, though I said we should investigate this because of a gut feeling, I now think that this is a very stupid idea and we should head back.”

“Noted.”

Hunk watched Keith continue forward, watched as his teammate slowly lowered himself at an even pace as the tunnel got smaller until he was moving forward on his belly, pushing himself by the strength of his long tail. “Keith, you alright?” he asked, projecting his voice, hoping the naga he could no longer see could hear him. There was no response.

On Keith's end, the tunnel had eventually become a tight fit. Despite that though, a faint iridescent glow was motivating him to keep moving forward. He had to put away his bayard and propel himself with the strength of his tail combined with his arms, thankful that his chest plate was protecting his soft belly from the rough ground around him. Just when his patience was about to run dry, the tunnel opened up into a small alcove filled with the glow, the source being hundreds of tiny crystals lining the walls and ceiling. He figured they were related to opals. The buzzing was vehemently assaulting his body now, causing the headache to spread and blur his vision slightly and send a small numbing sensation through his body. “Hunk, I found the source!” he reported into his com. There was no response. He pulled himself from the tunnel, the alcove barely big enough for the entirety of him. He kept close to the walls, circling until his tail was completely out of the tunnel. The glow intensified, blinding Keith by overwhelming his already impaired vision. He cried out in both shock and pain, flinging his arm across his face to block out the light.

From Hunk's perspective, the light burst from the narrowing tunnel with little warning, assaulting his vision with the intensity of a raging bonfire. His cries of pain echoed down the mine, reverberating off the walls in both directions. Dropping the laser and with both hands covering his face, tears streaming down his cheeks, he called out in a panic, “Keith! KEITH! Tell me you're okay!!”

The silence intensified the troll's worry. Eyes slammed shut, Hunk cupped his hands around his mouth and hollered, “KEITH!!!”

The intense light did not die down. Keith's helmet activated, sealing itself and tinting the visor in attempts to block the brilliance and let him recover. When he dared open his eyes, tears were streaming out of the corners and everything was blurred. He had been contemplating collecting a sample but his body and mind were screaming to leave the area. He conceded, felt for the exit and crammed himself into the tunnel, moving as fast as he could, his instinct causing a slight panic and dumping adrenaline into his system. He moved blindly, eyes squinting so hard everything was distorted. He didn't know when it was that he heard Hunk calling his name but it was definitely before he caught sight of him. “Hunk!”

The troll heard an echoing hiss and dared to open his eyes. The glow had faded almost completely, sticking around just enough to illuminate the tunnel his teammate had gone through. Something was coming through said tunnel, and that something continued to stay small as it got closer and closer to him despite the large shadows it was casting.

Keith could not understand why Hunk seemed to grow in size as he got closer. Was it his vision? Was his sight damaged? As soon as the headspace above him increased, he got off his belly and continued forward at his rendition of a crouch, progressing up to regular height when he could, but he still only came up to the middle of Hunk's shin. Still squinting, he stopped about five paces from the troll, five of his paces, since Keith no longer had legs. “Hunk?” he questioned, his helmet reverting to a clear visor and open face.

Hunk had watched the naga continue to approach him, only identifying it as Keith by the white paladin armor when he was nearly out of the tunnel. Eyes burning more from fatigue than pain, he just stared, confused. “Keith?”

The source of the hiss was unmistakable.

“What happened? Are you okay?” Hunk knelt, hands hovering. He could see Keith's tongue going mad, collecting as much information as it could. The naga also appeared to be squinting. Keith hissed again, taking his helmet off and rubbing his eyes. Hunk furrowed his brow apologetically, “I can't understand you.”

Irritated, Keith pointed to his face with two fingers, then crossed his arms in an 'x'. “You can't see?” Hunk tried.

Keith decided to go with that guess and nodded. Putting his helmet back on, he then pointed to Hunk, leaned over with his arm out indicating something small, then straightening and raising said arm as high as it would go, miming something growing.

“I don't think I was the one affected. You're the one that shrunk.” He pointed behind the naga to the narrowing tunnel. “Look at the tunnel. It' hasn't changed.” To prove a point, he walked toward it until his head nearly hit the top of it. Though the troll couldn't see it, Keith's eyebrows rose in shock; he really had shrunk!

Returning to Keith and crouching, Hunk offered his hand. “We should hurry back and figure this out as soon as possible. Climb on.”

Keith hesitated for half a second before nodding and slithering over Hunk's extended fingers into the center of his palm. The troll immediately curled his hand as he stood, keeping as steady as he could so the naga wouldn't fall off. Keith grabbed hold of Hunk's fingers, looking between the middle and ring, and wrapped his tail gently around the troll's wrist. Hunk eyed the laser; it required two hands to carry and with one currently occupied, he easily decided to leave it behind and started walking.

Thinking of something, Keith tightly hugged one of Hunk's fingers to get his attention. Without stopping, the troll looked at him. Keith pointed to his helmet, then his mouth, and then his helmet again. “Huh?” Frowning, the naga repeated the sequence but in addition, pointed straight ahead. “Oh! Are you saying call the team?” Keith nodded and looked forward again. Hunk tried his com. “Guys? This is Hunk. Keith and I are on our way back.”

Static was the only thing to reply.

“Hello?”

More static.

“I can't reach them. Something is blocking or interfering with the line.”

Looking over his shoulder, Keith bent his arms and swung them back and forth. “Go faster?” Hunk queried. Keith nodded and gripped harder around Hunk's wrist and fingers. “Are you sure?” The naga hissed, annoyed. “Okay, hang on!” The troll slid into a jog, doing his best to keep his arm level and stable so as to prevent jostling Keith as much as possible. He kept trying his com every three or four minutes, getting more and more discouraged the longer the static kept being the only response.

He tripped slightly when Pidge responded instead of the white noise. “HUNK! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!”

“Ouch, Pidge. Loud.”

“I am not sorry for that,” she retorted, snorting. “We have been trying to contact you and Keith for nearly three vargas now. You literally dropped off the map!”

“We're coming back as fast as we can. The details will come after we regroup. How are the miners we rescued?”

“Nearly everyone has returned to the surface. Only the director and three of her team stayed behind with Lance, Shiro and I. She's concerned about you two as much as we are.”

“How is Shiro?”

“On the verge of having a dragon-style panic attack,” Lance answered.

Both Hunk and Keith felt ashamed.

“Pidge,” the troll began, squinting into the distance. “Did you come back through the tunnel? I see a silhouette up ahead but I can't make out who it is.” The display on his helmet had zoomed in like a set of binoculars.

“I did when we lost your location. I figured that the wall might be interfering in some way. I think I see you too. Are you aware of the glowing light behind you?”

Hunk didn't dare look. “That's still there? It blinded me earlier and I think Keith's having trouble seeing too.”

“Speaking of, Keith, why haven't you said anything?”

“I don't think his com is working,” Hunk tried. Whether or not that was true, the naga in question had yet to tell him. He slowed to a brisk walk when Pidge's figure became a little more clearer. 

“Hunk, where is Keith?”

“Um... about that...”

“What. Happened.” Pidge's voice was abruptly stern and demanding. Hunk could easily see her arms were folded and he imagined she was tapping her foot.

“I don't know but I swear it's not that bad... I mean he's still Keith and all-”

“Stop. Stop.” She was waving her arms, hands open. “I wasn't talking about Keith. Hunk, you're only a meter tall!”

That stopped the troll. He took a good look at himself and then at Pidge who was still many many meters ahead of them. For the moment he couldn't figure out how she could determine his supposed changed height from that distance but, he wasn't about to openly question her given the status of Keith as evidence of the possibility. Spurred by surprise and concern, he cupped Keith in both hands, tucked his arms against his side and sprinted. When he did get closer to Pidge, he slid back into a jog and then stopped at a comfortable distance from her, panting while doing his best not to lean over to catch his breath.

He was indeed shorter than she was.

“Uh... I seriously have no explanation for this. But, Keith is right here.” He opened his hands and presented his little shrunk teammate to her. Keith wobbled, dizzy from being jostled around by Hunk's sprinting. Finally sensing that the troll had stopped, he 'sat' down and hugged his middle with one arm, trying not to be sick as he braced himself up against the troll's ring finger. “Sorry, Keith,” Hunk said, crestfallen. Slowly, the naga gave a shaky thumbs up; he was going to be okay.

“Let's go back through the tunnel and then you two get back to the castleship as fast as possible, even if you have to hitch a ride on Lance's back. Have Coran run as many scans as he can think of. Shiro, Allura and I will handle public affairs.”

“You and public affairs?” Hunk asked, his tone indicating he didn't believe Pidge one bit.

She waved her arms, exasperated. “Fine, fine. I'll be nothing more than a wallflower while Shiro and Allura make conversation. The point is that we need to keep whatever this is,” she gestured at the two of them, “on the low-down. These people aren't the type to keep calm about something as drastic as this and we don't need it getting out to unfavorable ears.”

“Agreed.” Hunk looked down at Keith. “Do you want to go through the tunnel yourself or do you want to continue to be carried?”

In response, Keith unwound himself from Hunk's wrist and slowly made his way up the troll's forearm to his bicep where he coiled around it firmly. He gave Pidge a thumbs up since Hunk couldn't clearly see him.

“That works,” Pidge commented. She made quick work of shimmying up the rubble to the tunnel and easily slipping through. Hunk was slow at first, unsure of Keith's grip. But the naga had moved up just enough to grab hold of the soft pressure suit on the troll's shoulder, a small section which was not covered by Altean armor. He hissed lightly, urging Hunk to go faster.

When the troll reached the end, he was roughly 'escorted' into Shiro's anxiously waiting dragon hands by a big dragon claw. Pidge was on the ground talking with the director. Lance was next to her. It seemed like the rest of the rescue team was preoccupied.

“The remaining paladins have returned and they have some important analyzing they need to quickly get to. And I'll be going with them since I'm no longer needed here. It was my pleasure to be of assistance,” Shiro hastily said, though still maintained a sense of calm control. Cupping his hands so Hunk couldn't be seen, he carefully and slowly turned in the small space and made for the exit. When he was sure he was far enough away, he set Hunk on the ground and shifted. “I heard everything through the coms. I'm glad that neither of you are hurt but what has happened is still greatly concerning.”

Lance's gallop was heard echoing through the mine. He skidded to a halt just short of where the three were. “We've got to hurry. The others are packing up. And the director is wondering where you've been, Shiro. Looks like they all fell for the act.”

“Alright. Lance, get Hunk and Keith back to the castleship as fast as you can,” Shiro pressed as he pivoted on the ball of his foot, tail lashing behind him. “I'll try to wrap things up quickly so Pidge and I can be right behind you.”

Lance knelt so Hunk could climb on. The troll wrapped his thick arms around the centaur's chest, holding firmly. Keith secured himself to Hunk's bicep as best he could. “This is going to get bumpy you two,” Lance said in quick warning before he started to run. It wasn't a full gallop because there was no way he would be able to keep that speed for the whole length of the mine. Regardless, the urgency of their situation set in their minds that the rail cars and space jeep were too slow for the trek back. And Pidge and Shiro needed the speeder.

* * *

“All current scans indicate that you two are in relatively perfect health. Though both of you have low glucose levels and Keith, you are a bit dehydrated so you should address that as soon as possible,” Coran announced after ten minutes of going over all the data from the number of scans that he took of both of them; Hunk had lost count. He was in his black pressure suit, sitting on the steps behind Coran, his armor shed next to the pod he was in. Keith, having also shed his armor, had taken up residency on one of the troll's legs, coiled up as typical of him and his top resting on his tail, head on folded arms. He had been staring into empty space, not really hearing the other two talk until Coran mentioned him. He jerked up at the sound of his name, nodding. 

Coran continued. “There is nothing amiss! Nothing that indicates why the two of you have shrunk to your current proportions! You, Hunk, being a little over a meter tall while you, Keith, are just over sixty centimeters long.”

“Well, the only scans you did were the ones provided through the pod. Aren't there others that you can do?”

“There are a few more but they require a more lengthy stay in the pod. There is one, however, that can be done that requires a few more vargas to complete outside of the pod. The first varga requires you to be sedentary as much as possible, preferably in a supine position.”

“So it can be done during a nap?”

“I suppose.”

“And the rest of it?”

“It would be obtained over the course of seventeen vargas. Both sets of data would be obtained and recorded through a band that goes around your wrist as well as one that goes around your upper arm. Unfortunately, there isn't a set small enough for Keith.”

“Then let's hope my data will suffice.” The troll gathered Keith up in his hands and stood. “How soon can we get that test going?”

“Promptly,” Coran answered as he closed the screens on the control panel.

“I wasn't kidding when I asked about a nap. And who knows when Allura and the others will return. I would like to get a late lunch or something going before they do get back. Lance is already feasting on leftovers and food goo; that steady run from the cave-in to here left him exhausted and famished.”

“Was there no meals provided during the rescue?” Coran asked.

“Not substantial for any of us. And stuff that only Lance, Shiro and myself could eat.”

“I see. Then let's get you set up.” Coran had one arm behind his back and was twisting his mustache.

Hunk nodded. “To the infirmary?”

“Not quite. The room we're headed to is above that.” 

“Lead the way.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk and Pidge go back for answers.
> 
> Chapter is unbetaed.

The troll groaned when he regained some semblance of consciousness. Everything felt off. A few minutes to digest his surroundings, he registered the presence of a small weight on his belly. Lifting his head slightly to look down at it instead of the top of his bunk, he spotted a sleeping naga draped in a loose, lazy manner over him, his torso somewhat hidden by his tail as he slept on his side, relaxed fists near his face. He was still in his pressure suit too.

Oh.

Right.

That happened.

Thumping his head back on his pillow, he heaved a great sigh. Lifting his left arm, the long sleeve of his jammies, rolled up several times at the cuff, slid down it to reveal a teal metal band that rested firmly around his wrist. There were two wires that extended from it, up his arm and under his sleeve to what he remembered to be another band that was almost as wide as his upper arm was long. To keep the wires close to his body, a flexible band was placed just under his elbow.

He dropped his arm. “Keith,” he whispered, debating whether or not to poke his sleeping friend. The naga had requested, through a series of different mimes and gestures, to stay with the troll while he napped; apparently he was concerned about keeping warm and figured Hunk's body heat was the best solution for the time being. Hunk figured his little teammate didn't want to be alone. So after the troll had exchanged his pressure suit for his now over-sized jammies and had been sub-sequentially outfitted with his new 'decals', and both of them had eaten a light snack, he settled down for a nap with his tiny friend.

“Keith,” he whispered again, propping himself up on his elbows. The naga stirred, reacting to the movement. Gradually, he rolled over onto his stomach and pushed himself upright into a sitting height, stretching and giving what Hunk considered the cutest big yawn from a little person. Wordlessly, Keith rose to standing height and made his way down to Hunk's blanket-covered lap so the troll could sit up. Hunk stretched, his yawn small and more reserved in comparison. “Get a nice nap?” he asked.

Keith smiled slightly and gave a thumbs up. He slithered off of Hunk's lap so the troll could get out of bed. Flinging the blanket off in the opposite direction, the troll swung his legs over the side, watching the rolled cuffs of his over-sized pants swing down to his ankles. The hem of his shirt dropped so low that the shirt was practically a dress on him. Luckily his pants had a drawstring. Standing, Hunk grabbed his phone to check the time; his one hour nap had instead become an hour and a half.

Oh well.

He was about set his phone down when Keith hissed. “Yeah?”

The naga pointed to the phone.

It then occurred to Hunk that Keith could communicate a whole lot better using the phone than with ambiguous mimes. Why hadn't he thought of that earlier? He sat back on the bed and brought the phone to Keith, holding it upright while the naga worked with it, pulling up a texting window and the keyboard. Surprisingly fast, he typed out, [Can I stay with you?]

“Of course, Keith. In fact, I think that's going to become commonplace until we get this reversed.” Hunk replied, adding after a breath, “I don't think the others will mind you tagging along either.”

Keith scowled but shrugged; it wouldn't be fair to burden Hunk all the time. The troll huffed lightly. “Think of it as an opportunity for team bonding,” the troll suggested.

Keith typed. [If you say so.]

“Try to be optimistic about this whole thing, Keith. Anger and frustration are only going to make it worse.”

Keith took a moment before answering. [No promises.]

“I've never known you to back down from a challenge, Keith. Consider what I suggested as being one.”

Keith nodded in response. Hunk took that as a cue and got back off the bed, offering his hand to the naga who readily slithered into it, wrapping his tail around the troll's bare wrist.

They headed to the kitchen.

Hunk discovered that he was barely taller than the counters. “There's got to be a step stool around here,” he mumbled, scanning the room. Stepping forward, he set his phone on the surface, having no pockets to put it in, and went to the cleaning closet, his best guess for where his quarry might be. To his delight, that's where it was; green and high enough that he would be able to comfortably work.

“I need to set you down so I can use both hands,” Hunk said to Keith, going back to the spot where he left his phone. When Keith dismounted, the troll quickly retrieved the stool and placed it in front of the sink. The first thing he did was pull out a rubber bottle and fill it with hot water from the tap. He put this next to Keith and then after a moment to find a hand towel, draped it over the bottle. “So you can keep warm,” he explained. He then moved the stool to the part of the counter with the biggest open surface before immediately busying himself with making an early dinner.

Keith decided to move half on, half off the flat bottle. After several minutes of watching Hunk work, he grew bored and restless. He was a man of action. Even while he relaxed he was usually doing something. Unfortunately, given his size, there wasn't much he could do to help in the kitchen; he was slightly wider than the width of chef's knife. He could probably handle a parring knife, with some difficulty, but it definitely would require both hands. Scratch that, both arms!

Despite himself, he gave a long hiss to vent his frustration. Hunk caught it and looked in his direction, about to say something when Lance clip-clopped in. The centaur took stock of the situation and immediately said, “How can I help?”

“What, no teasing? That's unlike you,” Hunk grinned.

“Too tired for teasing. I'll take you up on that offer later,” Lance yawned, scratching his head as he made himself busy getting a glass of water. He caught sight of Keith a space away from the sink and blinked a few times before a devious grin stretched across his face. Hunk didn't even have to see it before warning, “Lance, no.”

He couldn't help himself though. “First you were a nope rope, Keith. Now you're totally a danger noodle!”

“LANCE!” Hunk punched the centaur, hard. “Think before you open your mouth!”

Though he knew it was some sort of teasing insult, Keith was too confused to really take offense and it showed on his small face. As Lance rubbed the spot below his waist where Hunk had decked him, Keith moved over to the phone and tried to lift it. When he couldn't, he hissed, hoping to get Hunk's attention. “Lance, could you stand my phone up so Keith can type on it.”

“Sure thing.”

[What's a nope rope?] Keith typed as soon as he was able.

Lance couldn't hold in his snickering. Hunk shook his head, guessing at Keith's message. “Never mind it, Keith. It's not worth knowing.”

Keith's brow furrowed as he became even more confused. [Why?]

“Oh lighten up, Hunk. There's nothing wrong with knowing what a nope rope and danger noodle are. Consider it a lesson in culture.” Lance finished his drink of water and used the glass to support the phone so it stayed relatively upright. He also had the naga's attention. Gesticulating with his hands, he explained, “A nope rope is a comedic way of usually describing a large snake, large being anywhere from an adult python to as big as an anaconda. On the other hand, a danger noodle usually refers to a much smaller snake, like king and milk snakes. However, neither differentiates between venomous and nonvenomous snakes. So using danger noodle to describe a coral is just as correct as using it to describe a harmless hognose.”

Keith was so lost. He typed, [Why not just call them snakes?]

Lance did a double face-palm complete with shaking his head. “Keeiitthh!” he groaned, dragging the name out as he dragged his hands downward.

Hunk chuckled. Not looking at him, he commented, “I thought you were here to help, not be dramatic.”

“Fine, fine,” Lance replied, waving one hand in dismissal. Making sure not to get in the troll's way, he washed his hands. Hunk promptly gave his friend instructions.

And Keith was back to being bored. 

Hunk paused in his work a few minutes after Lance started helping, looking in Keith's direction to check up on him. The naga in question had coiled up, still half on and half off the rubber bottle, and was propping his head up on his tail with one arm, drumming his fingers on it with his other hand; the ultimate sign of boredom.

“Sorry, tiny Keith. At your size there isn't much available for you to help with,” Hunk sighed, eyes downcast.

Keith gave a tiny shrug; what could be done about it?

“Hold up there, buddy. I think I've got something Keith can help with,” Lance countered as he quickly gathered several items in his hands and moved over to the opposite side of Keith. “Think you can slice fruit?”

Keith straightened up, curious.

Lance set down a moderately sized bowl that was about as tall as Keith and not quite as wide, filled with red fruit that looked like red grapes but the paladins knew weren't. He set another empty bowl in front of it and what appeared to be a pink egg slicer with blades instead of stretched wire next to them. “Hunk picked this up at the last trade post we were at,” Lance explained as Keith moved closer to examine it. “You've seen an egg slicer, haven't you?”

Keith shook his head no.

“Okay, it's basically the same concept, just with blades instead of knifes because most fruit can't be cut with wire.” Putting a not-grape in the opened tool, he demonstrated its function. He then tipped the tool over the bowl to dump the fruit out. “Simple, right? It might be a bit of a challenge getting it to open and close, and you'll have to move the fruit by hand, but I'm sure you can manage.”

Smiling, Keith nodded and gave a thumbs up. Lance gave Keith a wet cloth to wash his hands with and observed him for a few minutes before getting back to his own work.

Keith ended up using his tail behind the tool to keep it from sliding while he used it. And it was a workout. However, he was content to be doing something instead of idling. He thought of it as a different type of training even.

Just as he finished cutting all the not-grapes, Hunk was reaching for them. “Thanks, tiny Keith.” Some of the fruit was used as a garnish on what appeared to be waffles but weren't made of bread. The rest was mixed in with a green salad.

The naga coiled up again, this time off of the rubber bottle, and flopped onto his tail, feeling the good, productive kind of exhausted. He rested while Hunk and Lance finished up.

He jolted at the feeling of being poked by something big; when had he dozed off? “Sorry, Keith. Dinner is done. Want me to carry you to the table?” Hunk asked. He always would so he could give Keith more of a sense of independence. Rising and uncoiling, the naga stretched, nodding. Hunk offered his hand and when the naga climbed into it, stepped off the stool.

Most everyone was already at the table. Lance and Coran were the ones absent. Hunk brought Keith over to his spot and let him down onto the table before taking his own seat, a notable block of some sort lifting him up like a booster seat. Lance and Coran were the ones serving everyone. Like usual, Allura was served first and then Lance placed the usual varied food group dish in front of Shiro and Hunk as well as his setting and a meat dish in front of Pidge. On a smaller plate meant for serving deserts were three strips of meat that were about equal to the size of steak fries. This was set in front of Keith; it was still too big for his small size but he shrugged.

Figuring that standing would be rude, he gathered his tail behind himself and sat down. After permission was given, everyone dug in. Having no utensils, Keith used his hands, grasping the strips and tearing pieces off of them with his teeth. No one commented or seemed to mind his new table manners; they seemed decent enough for a tiny tiny person.

“Allura,” Pidge began after several minutes. “Before we leave, I want to go back to that mine to take some readings of the area behind the cave in. Instead of sending a person through that tunnel again and risk a repeat of what happened, I plan to send a drone with a modified version of our BLIP tech that will also pick up a few other energy signatures.”

“When did you make something like that, Pidge?” Lance asked, pointing his fork at her.

“During times I've needed to wait for algorithms pertaining to the search to reverse T-day as well as finding my family. I intended originally to use it to find the same energy signatures that the castleship picked up during the incident. It's not perfect, yet, so sending it on a scouting mission would also be a great test run.”

“The Moore have sealed off the mine, Pidge,” Shiro reminded her.

“Yeah, with construction tape and barricades. They can't do much in one day or night to actively seal off a mine besides set up warning signs and tell others to stay out.” She paused for effect. “Besides, what they don't see won't be their problem.”

“That's just plain rude,” Lance quipped. “But, I see your point.”

“If we go back under the cover of night, provided there aren't any lookouts at the entrance, no one will be the wiser,” Hunk said.

“While it is important to find out what happened deeper in the mine, I just don't feel right about going behind the Moore's backs to do it,” Shiro voiced.

“But, if we ask them, they'll want to know why, and then we'll either have to lie to them still, or divulge the fact that two of us aren't normal sized right now,” Hunk pointed out. “It's not really a black and white situation. There's a gray area that we have to step into if we want any chance of finding answers.”

Shiro sighed. Allura was the one that spoke next. “I concur. Hunk, much as I am hesitant, you and Pidge are our best prospects for the job at hand.”

“I'll be fine, Allura. Neither Pidge nor I will be entering that tunnel again.”

The princess nodded. “That settles it then. Make whatever preparations that you need to. A few vargas after nightfall, when we're sure the Moore aren't likely to notice, we'll return to the mine to investigate. Just to be sure, you two will approach from the back end. Pidge, take the Green Lion and use its cloaking ability to get close, but not so close that it can be seen. Also, take a speeder with you since you'll need one with more than a single occupancy available.”

“Right.”

“The rest of us will keep in touch through communications,” Coran put in. “If circumstances turn south, abandon the drone and get back to your lion as quickly as possible.”

* * *

After Hunk and Pidge set out in the Green Lion, the others took up station on the bridge.

After dinner, Lance offered to take Keith. There was a small argument about how Keith would be carried, mostly done with hissing and gesticulating from the tiny naga due to his high irritation and impatience, but Lance finally conceded to letting Keith ride on his shoulder, his tail draped around the back of the centaur's neck. Keith wanted Lance to be able to use both hands and he didn't want to be stuffed into a pocket like some trinket. He also wanted to be able to see the station displays like everyone else and he couldn't do that from a pocket. Lance tried not to show it, but the sensation of Keith's tail on the back of his neck and partially over his other shoulder sent chills down his spine. The naga could feel the tremors beneath the centaur's skin and see the goosebumps on the surface.

He would have to apologize to Lance as soon as he could.

“Pidge, what's your ETA?” Shiro asked.

“Landing now. We're on the other side of the hill that the entrance is at and I don't think anyone spotted us.”

“It will take almost two vargas to get to the wall from where we've landed,” Hunk reported.

“There aren't any signs of local Moore investigating so you are in the clear on that regard,” Coran informed.

“Copy. Heading out in the speeder now. Next contact will be once we've reached the wall,” Hunk replied.

While Pidge drove, Hunk double and triple checked the BLIP tech drone that was sitting in the back next to him, ensuring that the connection between the computer in his bracer and the drone was secure both in encryption and reliability. To his dismay though, the quality checks had only eaten up about 70% of the time that they originally estimated it would take to make it from point A to point B. So he had nothing to do but stare at the walls as they passed through the beam of light coming from his helmet and it was making him anxious. He worried that something would happen again, resulting in him being even smaller and Pidge shorter than she is now. But, he tried to assure himself, whatever energy that had caused the transformation was on the other side of the wall and did not affect those waiting for them, so by not going through that tunnel, both Pidge and himself should be safe and out of harm's way, right?

To keep himself preoccupied, he thought about his mom's recipes and how he could recreate his favorites using space ingredients.

“Coming up on the wall in two doboshes,” Pidge said, jerking him out of his thoughts. “Is the BLIP drone ready?”

“Yup.”

Pidge quickly jumped out of the speeder when they stopped, lifting the drone out of the seat while Hunk climbed awkwardly out. The drone looked like an egg and was as big as he was but weighed maybe half of what he did. It was mostly white with a few blue circuit line accents that were glowing in the darkness of the abandoned mine.

As soon as she set it on the ground and made sure it wouldn't tip over, she pushed a button on the top of it to activate it. Four spider-like legs emerged from sliding panels, the tips of them narrow but strong. More panels opened to reveal a lens which promptly went to work focusing on the environment and two lights that lit up a wide area straight ahead. As soon as it finished, it turned itself to face the wall and moved towards it, lifting itself about a meter off the ground. Hunk readied his tablet while Pidge readied the computer on her bracer. Hunk's job was to guide the drone while Pidge would monitor any and all readings that were received.

“Entering the tunnel now,” Hunk reported back.

“Copy,” Shiro responded.

Guided by Hunk and his tablet, the drone scaled the wall and effortlessly slid into the tunnel. Nothing about it was amiss, at least that Hunk could see through the video feedback. Pidge wasn't picking up any strange readings either.

“How long do you think we'll be here?” Hunk voiced.

Pidge shrugged. “Who knows. But, we're staying as long as we have to unless something makes us leave.”

“I was afraid you would say that,” he sighed.

An hour after they dispatched the drone, he paused its advance so the two of them could take up residence in the seats of the speeder instead of sitting on hard rock floor. “Pick up anything?”

“If I did I would have said so.”

“Just checking.”

Back on the bridge, everyone else was getting video feed from the pod through Hunk's tablet. Lance was getting bored and had started to fidget, randomly thumping his tail or playing with the hem of his jacket. Allura and Coran kept vigilance for any natives approaching the mine. Outwardly, Shiro appeared calm. Inwardly, he was having to smother a growing sense of anxiety.

When the video finally showed the split that Keith and Hunk had come across, the naga perked up and started hissing, tapping Lance's face to get the centaur's attention. “What?”

Pidge then reported, “There is a weak radiation signature coming from the left tunnel. Is that the one you went down, Hunk?”

Everyone on the castleship looked at Keith for confirmation. At the same time, Hunk said “Yes,”, Keith was nodding his head likewise.

“Alright, proceed with caution,” Shiro confirmed.

A handful of minutes later, Lance voiced, “There isn't anything that really stands out. How far did you guys go? Did you even see anything besides wannabe rose quartz?”

“Keith might have. He was able to go further down the tunnel than I was. All I saw was a brilliant blinding light that lasted long enough that I thought I was going to end up with burnt retinas,” Hunk answered over the coms.

The drone had gone several meters when Pidge spoke again. “These readings don't make sense. I mean, it shouldn't be possible.”

“Is it a bug?” Hunk asked, looking up from his tablet.

“Much as I would hate to admit it, given that it is just a prototype, there could be something I did overlook. Keep going though. Let's see if these readings remain consistent or relatively consistent.”

“Got it.”

Much to her dismay, as he guided the drone further and further into the tunnel, the readings she was looking at continued to strengthen, going from hesitant blips on her screen to strong lines along a graph accompanied by complicated algorithms scrolling quickly on the left side. “This is just insane.”

“Pidge, we're fighting in a war that's insane.”

“No, this is borderline magic here.”

“Oookaayy. Are you going to explain or keep it to yourself.”

“Space-time is distorted here and as we keep going down the tunnel, the distortion is going from minute and barely detectable to there might be something if you know what to look for. And I'm sure if we go any further, it'll become so concrete that it might as well be a slap in the face.”

Hunk stopped the probe. “Well, Slav was able to bend space-time for the Blades. Oh, and the drone can't go any further. We've reached the point where I couldn't keep going but Keith could.”

She moved over to sit next to him and peek at his screen. There was nothing remarkable coming from video feed -nothing but wannabe rose quartz, as Lance had dubbed it, being lit by artificial light- but sensors were indicating that the tunnel ahead was too small for the drone to advance any further. And the crude holomap that was being displayed by Pidge's screen did not show anything beyond their stopping point. In fact, what it determined was that there was nothing but a wall two meters ahead.

“This is just too weird,” Hunk complained. “I know there was a tunnel there before.”

“Let me have that for a tick,” she said, grabbing the tablet before he could reply. She brought up a new window and entered a few commands before handing it back and looking at her screen. The great frown on her face described in detail her disappointment at the results of whatever it was she just did.

“Spill.”

“I had the drone send a sonic pulse into the wall to see if there was anything behind it. Nothing. There is nothing beyond there besides more rock.”

Shaking his head in defeat, he said quietly. “Well, we got what we could.”

“True, but it didn't really answer any of our questions. It just created more, the biggest one being what is causing that space-time distortion?”

“Can you tell what kind of distortion?”

“I think it's being stretched. How much though, I can't determine with just the scant readings that we were able to get.”

Hunk nodded, patting Pidge's shoulder. “We'll find answers. We just need to keep searching. For now, let's pack up and head back. I think we're testing our luck a little too much.”

She sighed. “I don't want to leave the drone behind if we don't have to. Put it on full speed and drive it back here as quickly as you can.”

He just nodded, fiddling with his tablet.

Back at the castleship, small lights were blinking on Coran's screen; they were coming from the Moore town indicating that some of the residents were leaving. “Hunk, Pidge, some of the Moore have left the town. I don't know if they're headed your way but you might want to make preparations to get out of there.”

“Crud. Looks like we are leaving your drone behind, Pidge,” Hunk apologized.

“Fine. Let me wipe the data though just in case someone else gets their hands on it. Hand me your tablet.” The troll handed it over, watching as she opened a series of windows and rapidly typed even more commands using just one hand. Coming through the video feed was several flying sparks just barely visible from the peripheral of the lens. Then the lights went out before the video cut out. “There. No one should be able to reproduce that technology any time soon.” 

“A little paranoid, aren't you?”

“Better safe than sorry. Come on.” She handed the tablet back and jumped into the front seat, kicking the engine into active drive and making a hasty U-turn that had him gripping the back of her seat just to stay in the vehicle. “Geeze, Pidge!”

“We've got a lot of road to cover and not a lot of time to do it. So hang on!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The majority of this chapter was already written when I posted the first. I don't plan on making multiple updates a month.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The woes of being tiny in a big big spaceship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep futzing with this chapter so I'm to the point I'm just going to post it even though it's not quite a month later.
> 
> There is some anatomy/bathroom talk in this chapter. TL;DR in the notes.
> 
> chapter is not betaed (though I've gone over it so many times it might as well have been. still, errors may be present.)

As soon as the Green Lion docked, Allura took her position at the teleduv. “Coran, prepare for take off.”

“Yes, Princess.”

The moment Pidge and Hunk entered the bridge the castleship took to the skies and was in open space in a short manner of time.

“Okay, Pidge. What did you find?” Shiro asked, getting out of his seat and approaching the center projector. The other three followed.

Fiddling with her bracer as she walked, Pidge transferred the data she had collected to the main computer and brought it up on screen. It contained a line graph accompanied by a 3D line model of the tunnel followed by a radiation wavelength sample. “For the most part, there wasn't anything unique. But then we came across that split and the very faint radiation signature coming from the left. The strength of it increased in small intervals the further we progressed.” She indicated the graph and the rising line on the X-axis. “Approximately at this point-” she indicated the tunnel where a flashing red light was, “-is where the radiation really started to gain prominence. And it's at this point-” the light moved further down the tunnel before stopping, “-that the space-time distortion begins, though so very minutely that only the algorithms can pinpoint it.”

“You said it appeared like it was being stretched. Stretched in what way?” Shiro asked.

“I'm not sure. It's either too early to tell because I haven't gone over all the data we've collected, or there just isn't sufficient data to make an accurate hypothesis.”

“Hold up, Number 4,” Coran interrupted. He pulled up another screen that had the same wavelength signature in the center of it as well as a few other bits of data. “I detected the same radiation signature coming off of Hunk shortly after his return. It quickly dissipated during the test, lasting no more than two and a half vargas. I'm sure the same radiation would have been on Keith as well.”

“That means that they have been exposed, not necessarily that it did anything to them. At least, that we know if at this time,” Pidge groaned and slapped her hands on the edge of the projector, glaring at it as it if was the source of her ire, all of her snakes hissing with shared frustration. “There are just too many unknown variables!”

“Annoying as this all is, it's late. We should sleep on it. New ideas are sure to come to a rested mind,” Lance said.

“I second that,” Hunk replied.

“I concur. Get some rest, paladins,” Allura smiled. They nodded in return and filed out, Hunk stifling a yawn.

* * *

Keith cracked his eyes open, still very much asleep but something was pestering him, something important. Blinking several times to clear his vision, he let his narrow black tongue go to work.

Where was he?

Lounge. Okay.

Anyone else in the room?

Hunk, Lance, Pidge, and Shiro were there. Okay.

What's that noise?

Someone is snoring. Okay.

His fuzzy mind finally remembered; camp out. After what had happened, Lance had insisted that everyone sleep in the same room. And he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer from Keith. So that's how the tiny naga had found himself sleeping on Hunk's stomach again, still in his pressure suit. So, what woke him up?

That important feeling rammed itself to the forefront of his mind. And it was coming from the last third of his tail, and getting stronger.

Quiznak!

It must be what he ate three days ago. But the urgency was wrong. Was it the new spice Hunk tried? Curse his slow metabolism. If he didn't find something soon, he was going to leave a mess all over his teammate!

Bolting upright and with an intense focus on himself, he slithered down off his friend onto the blankets, moving as quickly as he dared towards the mouth of the couch ring and onto the smooth floor. If he were human still, it would be at this point he would make a run for it. Much to his misfortune, not only was he not human, he was tiny and his body didn't have the same amount of control now that he was mostly horizontal -that end of his body wasn't as resistant. He could easily lose it just by moving. What he typically left behind wasn't exactly solid either due to his digestive system being linked with his urinary system.

The nearest bathroom was too far away...

Curse his anatomy!

Quiznak. Quiznak! QUIZNAK!

The equivalent of clenching for him was grabbing the end of his tail and holding it up against his chest; let gravity work in his favor, please!

He needed help. This was so embarrassing and it was going to get worse if he didn't get help. But, no one else was awake. Would anyone even hear him? Only one way to find out. He called, “Is anyone awake?” Of course to them, it would sound like he was hissing. Lance had told him as such when they were arguing about the camp out; “Stop hissing at me and give in!”

No one stirred. Not even Shiro who was the lightest sleeper out of them all.

Desperate, he tried again. “Anyone?!”

He got a squeak for a response. Peeking down from the end of the couch was Chulatt, the smallest of Allura's mice friends. “Hey, could you do me a favor and wake someone up? I don't care who it is, just hurry.” Actually, he did care but he didn't have the luxury to be choosy.

Of course, Chulatt had to pick Lance. Keith would have preferred Shiro but the mouse was closest to the centaur. It jumped down onto the near end of Lance's horse half and ran up the length of him, traversing the crumpled pajamas at his waist to reach his face with ease, slapping his cheek with one paw. When he didn't wake after several slaps, Chulatt climbed onto his face and went for his eye, carefully grabbing his eyelid and lifting it up.

That woke him up.

Startling, he shoved himself up with his hands, throwing the mouse off as he hissed in a low voice, “What is wrong with you!?” The mouse, which had landed unharmed on the blankets, ran across them over to where Keith was, still grasping his tail. When Lance's eyes saw him, he immediately asked, “Keith? Are you okay?”

The naga vehemently shook his head no.

“Are you hurt?”

Another vehement no. He released one arm to point several times towards the door. “You need to go somewhere?”

Keith was losing time and patience. With his free hand, he made the sign of a phone against his ear. Lance immediately understood and grabbed his off the couch, pulling up a text window as he stood. As soon as he could, Keith rammed his hand over the screen, typing out in all caps, [BATHROOM! NOW!]

Lance reacted immediately, finally seeing the urgency in the little naga's body language and fully relating to the woes of not being bipedal. He tossed his phone back onto the couch and scooped up his friend -who had wrapped his arm back around his tail- and climbed to his hooves with his hands cupped and doing his version of a jog out the door and down the hall. “Should have thought of this sooner,” he muttered to himself.

Inside the small bathroom, he set Keith on the rim of the toilet seat. “Do you-” he began only to be cut off by a slightly blushing Keith hissing loudly while glaring and pointing to the door. “Alright, I'm going.” The centaur backed out and positioned himself outside with his arms folded to wait. 

Three minutes went by before he asked, “You finished in there?”

No answer.

“Keith?”

Still no answer.

“You hadn't better have fallen in,” he said in a half joking, half serious manner.

More silence.

“That's it, I'm coming in.”

Once the door slid open, he panicked a bit when he saw Keith wasn't he had left him. He was about to step forward when a warning hiss stopped him. Looking down, he spotted the naga, who had somehow made it halfway to the door. Getting to his knees, he reached his hand out towards Keith. “You know, I would have picked you back up. You didn't have to throw yourself on the floor.” Blushing fervently and still glaring, he slithered into Lance's open hand. Sympathetically, Lance commented gently, “I get it. I really do. All of this sucks.” He cupped his hand so Keith could grab onto one of his fingers before standing. “You need the sink?”

Given how his body worked, he didn't. So, not looking over his shoulder, he shook his head no.

“Okay.”

When they got back, Shiro was awake and was staring at the door. “Later, Shiro. It's all good.” Stepping back into the nest of blankets, Lance set Keith back on Hunk before getting comfortable again and nodding off. 

Keith coiled up and rested on his tail, sulking a bit, blush still on his face and a scowl on his mouth.

This. Sucked.

* * *

“We need to come up with a Keith-sized bathroom,” Lance immediately voiced once everyone in the room was mostly awake.

“I'm sorry, tiny Keith. I should have thought about that sooner,” Hunk was tapping his fingertips. “But, since you don't need one as often, I totally spaced it.”

Keith just shrugged. He had taken up residence on Pidge's knee when she sat upright on the couch, Hunk at her side.

“What can we do?” the troll queried.

“Let's just throw out any idea we can come up with,” Pidge suggested.

“After last night, I don't think he wants to have to ask every time he needs one,” Lance said sympathetically. Keith nodded vigorously at this, folding his arms. He may be tiny but he definitely wasn't a baby.

“What do Allura's mice use? If anything?” Lance asked from where he sat in the middle of the couch ring. It was mutual that the idea the mice went wherever was a disgusting idea but it couldn't be ruled out.

“I'm sure they're not that inconsiderate,” Shiro commented from the opposite side of the couch, tail in his lap and wings opened slightly, resting against the back cushions.

“Maybe they use a litter box?” Hunk voiced.

Keith hissed loudly, glaring at the troll sitting next to him with his arms folded. Everyone understood the intent behind that one. “Not gonna happen, got it,” Hunk promptly said.

“You probably wouldn't like an emergency or camper's latrine either,” Shiro said, looking at Keith. 

“What's that?” Lance asked.

“Basically a bucket with cat litter in it.”

Keith crossed his arms in an 'X', his face neutral.

“Well, there isn't exactly something else we could do. My thought was sticking a Keith-sized ladder in the bathrooms but he can't climb those.” Pidge said.

Keith hissed lightly and asked for a phone. Lance offered his. [I can climb stairs though.]

“So you've got an idea?”

Nodding, Keith typed, [Stack cubes or something to make a staircase.]

“I get it. But wouldn't that take up a lot of space?” Lance asked.

“Not if it doubles back next to itself like the way Keith does when he turns around,” Hunk answered.

“Sounds like that will work.”

“Alright, now that we have a tentative solution to that, any other pressing matters or can we get space coffee going?” Pidge asked.

“No, not for the time being. Unless someone else thinks of something, Keith included.”

[I need a shower.] the naga in question typed.

“I'm not going to bother with that one. You guys can figure it out on your own,” Pidge answered first.

“Yeah, you haven't really had a chance to clean up properly since we left the mine,” Hunk commented. “And all you've got for clothes is your pressure suit.”

“I can fix that. Need some measurements first. One tick,” Lance said, working with his phone. He pulled up the camera. “Hold still, Keith.” Using an add-on on his phone he lined up his photo lens so the little naga was standing next to a ruler that measured a specific target according to a preset scale. Lance had set it to centimeters and snapped a few photos, adjusting where the scale was each time. “Okay, turn so one of your sides is facing me.” When Keith complied, he took another few pictures. “One more. Face me again and raise your arms in a T-pose.” Final picture taken, he smiled. “Done. I'll have a shirt made for you soon.” The centaur got to his hooves and left the room. Pidge scooped Keith up so she could stand, Hunk sliding off the couch next to her.

“Come with me, Keith. I don't know about a shower but I do know of something that you can take a bath in,” Shiro said, extending a hand as he leaned forward toward Pidge. She reached out with both of hers so Keith could switch over. “Lance and I on separate occasions have given the mice baths in the past. That small basin should be perfect for you,” he continued as he stood and walked out of the lounge.

Keith, steadying himself in Shiro's hand by holding onto his fingers, stared ahead, not really thinking about anything. Well, except how gross he felt. He may not sweat but his scales were begging to be cleaned and there was grit underneath his suit and in his hair. Not to mention that the suit wasn't the most comfortable thing on scales either.

Shiro headed towards a supply closet where bathroom paraphernalia was kept. He pulled a white metal basin that looked very much like an over-sized bowl but it smell-tasted of shampoo, off one of the shelves. Setting that at chest level, he stuck a new toothbrush in it. Since Keith didn't use soaps of any kind, the half-dragon ignored those. “This good?”

Keith nodded. 

“You want your bathroom?” he asked, grasping the bowl with his prosthetic hand and letting the closet shut on its own.

Keith shrugged. He didn't care since he was going to need a bit of help getting water into the basin. Because his was closer, Shiro decided Keith's bathroom was the place to go.

Shiro filled the basin half way with water from the sink and then set it on the floor of the shower stall, letting Keith down at the same time. As Keith stripped out of his suit Shiro asked, “Want me to stay or wait outside?”

Keith shrugged again; Lance had seen him bathe before, Shiro wouldn't be much different. He did mime for a towel though. Shiro nodded and set a folded washcloth nearby. He then leaned back against the sink as Keith hefted himself into the water and used the toothbrush to scrub himself. It was cumbersome because of the long handle, but doable. With no shampoo, he opted for just rinsing his hair as thoroughly as possible.

When he finished, he hefted himself back out and went for the washcloth. Shiro took the opportunity to dump the basin in the sink and rinse it out. Keith gathered up his pressure suit and hissed lightly indicating he was finished. Sticking the used cloth and toothbrush into the basin first, Shiro offered his left hand for Keith to climb into. He set the basin on the counter with the intentions of retrieving it later. “Where to next?”

Keith mimed eating with one hand.

“Are you sure? You don't want to wait for Lance to make you a shirt?”

It was essentially a formality that he wore any clothes at all. Looking himself over though, he figured that out of consideration for Pidge and the princess, he should continue wearing shirts at least. So set down his pressure suit, mimed eating again and then crossed his arms into an 'X' once more.

“You want to wait for Lance then?”

Keith nodded.

“At his room or-” Keith nodded again before Shiro could finish his question. He nodded in return and headed in that direction, Keith grasping one of his fingers to keep steady.

In front of Lance's door, Shiro knocked. “It's open,” was the centaur's reply. So the half-dragon palmed the scanner, the door opening with a whoosh. From the floor where he was laying belly down, dressed in his usual clothes, Lance looked up for three seconds to see who it was before focusing back on the project in his hands. “Hey, Shiro.”

“Keith wants to stay with you while you work on his shirt,” he explained.

Lance looked up again, focusing on Keith instead. “Sure, I don't mind. It'll be boring though.”

Keith shrugged. He would deal.

“Where do you want to get off?” Shiro asked.

Keith pointed to the bed. Lance nodded his permission and went back to his work while Shiro set Keith down. “I'm going for breakfast. Want me to bring you anything?”

Without looking up, Lance answered, “Nah, I'll be finished with this within half a varga, give or take.”

Keith shook his head no.

“Alright. I'll catch you two later.”

After the door closed, there was a focused atmosphere in the room. Keith had coiled up and was resting his head on his arms, watching Lance who in turn had his tongue peeking out of his mouth while he worked on a small, doll-sized black shirt. Where he found the cloth to make the shirt, Keith didn't know. But he was easily intrigued by the centaur's skill with just a simple needle and thread. Keith himself could do minor repairs; he was nowhere skilled enough to make something from scratch, so to speak. And after a handful of minutes came and went, he was surprised at how the usual chatty teenager had not said a word.

Curious, he hissed lightly.

Lance looked at him. “Something up?”

Moving one of his arms from under his chin, he flapped his fingers to mime talking, followed up by pointing at Lance accompanied by a confused look on his face.

Lance mirrored the confusion. “You want to talk about something?”

Keith shook his head no. Putting his arm back under his chin, he shrugged hoping to convey that it wasn't important.

Sighing and dropping his chin to his chest, Lance mumbled, “This really sucks. I never was very good at charades.” He set the shirt and needle aside, scooted in an awkward way closer to Keith and grabbed his phone from the opposite side of the bed, pulling up the text window. Keith got up and typed, [You're quiet.]

“I'm focusing. I'm not always noisy, you know,” he huffed, adding a beat later, “And it is a tad difficult to chat with someone who can only play charades or hiss when I'm not looking at him.”

[Point.]

“Do you really want to chat or can I finish your shirt?”

[Work on the shirt.] Keith answered, backing away from the phone to settle again. Lance laid the phone down next to the naga and went back to the small shirt. Tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth again for a few seconds, he began to hum a song Keith did not recognize. He was about to ask what it was before stopping himself so Lance could keep working.

Just as he finished humming, he snipped the thread and held up the shirt with his fingers to evaluate his work. “It should do, for now, you think? I'll make you a few more so you can at least have something clean to wear between laundry.” He handed the shirt to Keith. “Put it on.”

The naga quickly dressed, pulling the shirt away from himself to study it, twisting left and right to take it all in. It was longer than his human-sized shirt but he supposed that for a rush job, it was very well done. Sensing Lance was expecting a reply, he gave a thumbs up and a smile, earning a wide grin in return.

As Lance packed his sewing kit away, he asked, “Ready for breakfast.”

Keith hissed. When Lance reached for him though, he pointed to the phone. “Hm?”

[I'm sorry.]

“For what?”

[Yesterday.]

“What did you do yesterday?”

[I scared you.]

“When?”

[Sitting on your shoulder.]

“Oh, that. No big deal.”

Keith folded his arms, eyes narrow, unimpressed.

“Okay, okay. So I was uncomfortable. When I was a kid, Luis stuck a boa on my shoulders. I thought it was cool until the snake started acting like it was going to circle around my neck and suffocated me. I haven't liked big thick things around my neck since. I can barely tolerate necklaces.” Subconsciously, he rubbed his neck. “It's not your fault so forget about it.”

Keith frowned but his expression wasn't of anger or annoyance. Instead, he was confused. Lance offered his hand again and this time Keith climbed on. Stuffing his phone in his jacket pocket, Lance got to his hooves and headed towards the kitchen.

What was waiting for Keith at his spot was a plate of smaller pieces of meat; essentially still steak fry size but they had been cut up into squares for easier handling. There was a little sauce cup of gravy on the plate as well. Notably, there wasn't as much meat as was made for him last night which was good because he wasn't that hungry.

The mice were on the table too, sitting around their own bowl of food goo. Except for Chulatt, all of them were staring at him, squeaking quietly. 

He ignored them.

Hunk was still wearing his yellow jammies, sleeves and hems rolled up.

After everyone started eating, Shiro asked, “Pidge, any headway on that information you collected?”

She shook her head, toying with the meat squares on her plate. “There just isn't enough relevant data. I doubt even Slav could make a strong hypothesis with the smidgen of information I got about the space-time distortion. Our only solid lead is that radiation signature.”

“Then shouldn't we try and find it again?” Hunk asked. “I don't mean to expose ourselves to it once more without further study, but there is a possibility that the space-time distortion could be in the same place and if so, another chance to learn more about it.”

“Makes sense,” Lance commented. “But where would we even begin to search? Shouldn't we have stayed in orbit of the Moorian planet to look there first?”

“We aren't that far from them so turning around won't be an issue,” Allura answered. “Though I doubt that the phenomenon will be elsewhere on the surface. Oddities such as this rarely have multiple incidents in the same location.”

“The signature is very small and unlikely to be detected by the castle scanners from space. Unless we find another way, we would have to drop planetside on every planet just to perform a search and that would take decapheobes.” Pidge commented, still toying with her food.

“If we had more people to help us search we could increase our chances.” Lance offered.

“There aren't that many available what with the Galra still attacking despite the power struggle. And even if there were, even fewer have the technology to detect such abnormalities. The only ones I can think of that might be close are the Blade of Marmora and they are stretched thin as it is,” Hunk said.

“Maybe, if we explain the situation to Slav, he could come up with something even better and more accurate that we can use. That would improve our chances,” Pidge suggested.

“How long would that take to come up with such a device and how long would it take to construct it though? And once made, would it be easily manufactured at a rate that we could distribute them to those groups who could spare a few members to help with the search?”

“Wait, wait. Too many ears risks the chance that the Galra will hear about us, about Voltron not being at full capacity right now. And that is the last thing we need,” Lance interrupted.

“Lance is right. If we do reach out for help, we need to be very selective about who we ask,” Shiro said. 

Keith hissed. Man did he really hate not being able to be understood when he was talking. Pidge offered her phone. Wiping his hands on a napkin to clean them as best he could, he typed, [I'm sure that Kolivan will spare a few Blades to help with the search. Voltron is important in the fight against the empire. The shorter the time we are out of the fight, the better. And I know he'll agree.]

“I'm positive Matt will want to help as well. He's been fighting against the Galra longer than we have and has successfully kept himself and the rebel team under their radar for the most part.”

“Then it's a plan. We'll contact the Blade and get Slav on board. The Olkari will surely be able to help with the construction of whatever device he comes up with. In the meantime, we lay as low as possible without removing ourselves from the fight entirely. The Galra are sure to figure something out if we're completely absent than if we just fight a few small battles,” Shiro said.

“I'll contact the Blade after we've finished eating,” Allura said.

Breakfast was very nearly rushed after that conversation ended.

* * *

Allura couldn't connect with the Blade of Marmora the first attempt. She said she would keep trying every fifteen minutes, lamenting that Kolivan hadn't given her more than one contact by which to reach them while understanding that too many contacts risked discovery.

In the meantime, Hunk found himself trailing behind Coran, his bare feet silent in comparison to the light thudding of the Altean's boots. “We probably should have done this sooner but everyone was busy busy as you know. Yet, here we are now with a bit of time. So, I think we can find a few clothes that will fit you better for the time being.”

“So that's what this is about?” The Altean had neglected to say anything to the troll other than, “Come with me for a bit, Hunk.”

“My apologies. Everyone has been distracted, myself included. I thought for sure I had told you what we were doing.”

Hunk waved him off. “No problem. It's not that important and I know now.”

“Ah, but what if it was very important? You would end up fumbling along like a blind querral.”

“I would have asked for clarification, Coran.”

“Right, right.”

They turned a corner, Coran entering a code into the access panel to what Hunk guessed was a large storage room.

The unremarkable metal doors slid open to reveal clothing racks on vertically rotating conveyor belts, all grouped and organized by size and color. The air was musty, causing Hunk to cough lightly. Coran walked in with a familiarity about him while Hunk lagged behind, looking at everything. “Over here, Number 2,” Coran beckoned. Hunk quickened his pace. 

The Altean pressed a button to rotate a set of racks containing smaller clothes, stopping at one set of which the majority seemed to be in Hunk's size. There were several different fashions, some that caused him to cringe. “See if you can find something to your tastes, and take your time.”

The rack was just slightly taller than himself but he still managed to go through the clothes one by one. Out of habit from both the Garrison and being in space for over a year, he looked for clothes that were similar to what he had become accustomed to wearing. He quickly found some mostly plain shirts in orange and yellow and took those. Pants were proving more difficult; he liked cargoes. He couldn't find cargoes. So he backtracked and looked through them again, specifically looking for pants with pockets. He startled himself when his fingers felt something that was very similar to denim; might as well be called space denim. There were a couple of pairs of overalls that were black, something he was not expecting to find on an alien ship. He took two of those. “These will work.”

“Would you like some sleepwear in your size as well?”

“Yeah, that would be good.”

Coran waved him over to another rack that was full of soft pajama sets in a myriad of colors. The troll quickly picked out some yellow ones that happened to be printed with blue koi. He chuckled at the childishness of them but still kept them. Seeing an expectant but inquisitive look on the Altean's face, he responded, “These will work for now. I hope I don't stay this small for too long.”

“Right you are. Well then, let's get back to the paladin rooms. Those have been in storage for so long they could use a wash before you actually wear them.”

“I agree with you there, Coran,” Hunk laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TL;DR  
> Pidge laments that she doesn't know what could have shrunk Hunk and Keith, explaining that there just isn't enough information.  
> Lance demands every one sleep in the lounge.  
> Tiny Keith needs the bathroom in the middle of the night. Lance helps him out.  
> In the morning, the team figures out how to help tiny Keith with that problem for the future.  
> Keith asks for help getting a shower. Shiro helps him out with the same method he and Lance used to bathe the mice.  
> Lance makes tiny Keith a tiny black shirt to wear instead of his black pressure suit. Keith apologizes for scaring Lance by sitting on his shoulder.  
> The topic of conversation over breakfast is how to find more information about the abnormality Pidge found. They decide to enlist the help of Slav and the Olkari and look into recruiting a few members of the Blade and Matt and his rebels to help with the search.  
> Coran gives Hunk a couple smaller outfits to wear as well as some smaller pajamas.


	4. Author Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't like interrupting stories with real life stuff but, learning from when I suddenly went radio silent before, I feel that something needs to be said.

Just a note ladies and gents.

I know I haven't updated this in months. I have put my focus on "Why it sucks to be a snake in space" and while working on that fic, I lost all my notes for this fic. So... I'm almost starting from scratch. I remember a few significant scenes and ideas that I wanted to incorporate but... it is definitely going to be a while before this updates.

I am so sorry.


End file.
